Anisette Cake Recipes

CHOMBOLINI (ITALIAN ANISE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with shortening and dust with flour.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Mix sugar and butter in a bowl with a spoon until creamy. Mix in eggs.
• Combine orange juice and milk in a separate bowl; pour into the sugar mixture. Stir in the flour mixture, anise, and lemon extract until well combined. Fold in dates and walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack for final cooling, 15 to 25 minutes.

ANISETTE

Steps:

• In a mortar and pestle, or a resealable bag and rolling pin, crush anise pods and fennel and coriander seeds. Toast together in a skillet over medium-high until fragrant, about 1 minute. Divide between 2 quart-size glass jars, then divide vodka evenly between jars. Let cool completely. Screw lids onto jars, shake gently, and let stand in a cool, dark place 5 days.
• Strain vodka mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth; discard solids. In a small pot, boil sugar and 1 1/4 cups water just until sugar dissolves; add to strained vodka. Let cool completely, then refrigerate until cold, 1 hour. Divide among eight 8-ounce gift bottles. Bottles will keep in refrigerator up to 6 months. To serve, pour 1.5 ounces directly over ice, or add 1 part anisette and 3 parts cold water to a glass filled with ice.

ANISETTE-MASCARPONE CAKE

Steps:

• MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350*F.
• Line a 13x9" baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
• Whip the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric mixer on medium-high speed.
• With the mixer running, drizzle in the vegetable oil, then the vanilla.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together; add to the egg mixture alternately with the milk, mixing after each addition, just until combined.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan; bake until firm and springy to the touch, and a toothpick tests out clean, 35-40 minutes.
• Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack.
• MEANWHILE, MAKE THE TOPPING: Whip the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy and the sugar is almost dissolved.
• Add the mascarpone cheese and Sambucca; whip just until stiff and frosting-like, being careful not to overmix.
• (Overmixing may cause the mascarpone to separate.) Chill until ready to use.
• MAKE THE ANISETTE SYRUP: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Remove pan from heat and add the Sambucca; set aside to cool slightly.
• Invert the cake; peel off the parchment paper.
• Brush the surface of the cake with the syrup until it is all absorbed.
• Cover with the mascarpone topping, using all the cream.
• Chill, lightly covered, at least 2 hours.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle with the grated chocolate, cut into squares, and serve cold.

ANISETTE COOKIES I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, beat eggs. Blend in vegetable oil, orange juice, vanilla, lemon and anise flavoring.
• Sift the flour with the sugar and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. The dough will probably be sticky. Add additional flour until dough no longer sticks to your hands and can rolled.
• Pull off a piece of dough about the size of a walnut. Roll it into a rope and shape it into a knot. Place finished knots 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Bottoms should slightly brown. Cool cookies on a wire rack. If desired ice with confectioner's sugar icing.

ITALIAN ANISETTE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add sugar, salt, baking powder, anisette; beat until smooth.
• In a small bowl, beat together oil and room temperature butter until well combined. Stir into batter.
• Gradually add flour, beating only for a short time after flour has been added. Use more or less flour to make a soft cookie batter dough. (Using less flour will make for a lighter cookie). Dough should be soft, but stiff enough to form a smooth shape.
• Cover; refrigerate dough for several hours.
• Using a cookie scoop or two teaspoons, shape the dough into small balls; press bottom of cookies lightly onto lightly greased cookie sheets, while keeping the rounded tops.
• Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. The cookies should be crisp but do not brown - they should be very light in color.
• Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
• To ice the cookies: In a clean mixing bowl, combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 4 teaspoons milk and 4 teaspoons Karo syrup. Stir until the icing is of a spreadable consistency, adding more milk if required. A few drops of anisette may be added for flavor; a drop or two of food coloring can be stirred in for a pastel-colored icing, if desired.
• Dip cookie tops into icing, then optionally sprinkle with colored cookie decorations.
• Makes approximately 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

ANISE COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt butter and shortening together. Add the sugar; mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the anise extract. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture gradually. If the dough is too sticky to roll in the palm of your hand, add flour until firmer, but it should be very soft. Roll dough in small balls (these tend to really puff up with all the baking powder in them!) and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake @ 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes (the bottom should be lightly browned but the tops should remain light). Remove cookies to wire rack and cool completely before glazing.
• Next time I will be more careful with the flour, I think I added a bit too much. The tops of my cookies cracked. I also used my cookie scoop and filled it half way, which seemed to work pretty well.
• Mix milk GRADUALLY into confectioners' sugar to make a thick glaze... make sure to keep it on the thick side. Dip top of each cookie into glaze. Sprinkle with colored jimmies or nonpareils while glaze is still wet. I usually dip 10-12 cookies, return them to the wire rack (with wax paper under the racks to aid in clean up!) and then sprinkle those cookies before starting to dip more.
• I dipped and sprinkled 5 at a time, that seemed to be the magic number before the glaze would start to harden.

ANISETTE CAKE

Steps:

• Cut anisette cookies in half. Spread out a layer of cookies in a 13x9" pan.
• Cook the vanilla pudding according to directions and then pour over the cookies.
• Now, cut more cookies and layer on top of the vanilla pudding. You should have two rolls for each layer. Lay the cookies on their sides to look like a half moon.
• Now cook the chocolate pudding and pour that over the cookies.
• When cooled, spread the Cool Whip over the chocolate pudding. Refrigerate. Delicious!